This document discusses metrics for evaluating entrepreneurial ecosystems. It addresses major themes like policy formulation, networking and collaboration, communication, and governance/leadership. For each theme, it poses questions to determine whether an ecosystem supports opportunities and entrepreneurs in emerging. The questions examine issues like how policies are developed, whether key institutions collaborate effectively, the level and nature of communication, and if leadership embraces an entrepreneurial mindset. The document seeks feedback on its analysis and any important topics it may have missed.

1. Rebels, Academic Arsonists &
Grenade-Throwers:
Touring the Minefields of
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
torches, pitchforks, boiling oil optional ;)
NACCE 2012 Workshop
Joe Abraham
Norris Krueger, PhD

2. Supporting Emergence of
Opportunities
• So… What do we know? (Other than we all
have a relatively fuzzy mental model of a
healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem.)
• My favorite soundbite is “a healthy
entrepreneurial ecosystem provides a robust,
friendly framework for opportunities and
entrepreneurs to emerge.”

3. EP = F(PE)?
• Importance of Intangibles
– Social infrastructure (Flora & Flora)
– Networks (Pages)
– Cognitive infrastructure (NK)
– Liaison-animateur (Sweeney)
• Paul Reynolds’ “Big 3”
– Human capital (preparedness)
– Social capital (Social/cultural norms)
– Political capital (barriers)

4. Format (options!)
• Go through the proposed metrics by category
– Identify needed changes
– Identify reasonable metrics
– Identify immediate remediation?
• Do we:
– Go theme by theme, or
– Do 2 or 5 loops?

5. Major Themes
• Policy Formulation
• Networking & Collaboration
• Communication
• Governance / Leadership

6. Policy Formulation
• Cohesive strategy or collection of tactics?
• Was the policy formulated top down or
bottom up?
• Does form follow function?

7. Policy Formulation (2)
• Are we really looking for proven practices in a
wide variety of locations?
• Do we act to embrace this as an intense
learning process?
• Do those involved get design thinking or do
they want to get it perfect first?

8. Policy Formulation (3)
• Is there a passionate commitment to
bold/disruptive action, no matter whose ox is
gored??
• (or do policy makers seek to avoid disrupting
existing personal & organizational
relationships?)

9. Networking /Collaboration
• Are key institutions immersed in the
ecosystem? Co-embedded? (who is, who
isn’t?)
• Do institutions play well together? (which do,
which don’t?)
• Who guards their turf and clout? (In public
sector? Private sector?)

10. Networking/Collaboration(2)
• Are bottom-up networks supported visibly?
• Are connectors supported visibly?
• How many of your connectors are true liaison-
animateurs?

11. Networking/Collaboration(3)
• Is your community committed to alignment
(Distinctive Competence not Core Competence)?
• Are you plagued by “seagulls”? (Are there visible
sanctions?)

12. Networking/Collaboration(4)
• Committed to developing best-in-class maps
of the ecosystem?
• Are ecosystem maps shared broadly?
– Well-publicized?
– Do people have them internalized?

13. Networking/Collaboration(5)
• Is your community committed to
listening/visioning sessions?
• Is participation truly bottom-up?
• Is community leadership committed to go
“summit-ing”?

14. Communication
• Is there frequent communication with and among
the entrepreneurial community?
• Is it a conversation or simple ‘spray & pray’ one-way
messages?
• Are all community/opinion leaders in the
conversation?

15. Communication (2)
• Are entrepreneurs fully represented in the
conversation, not just those who speak for
them?
• How significant (and competent) is the online
presence of key ecosystem ‘players’?
• How significant (and competent) are the key
ecosystem ‘players’ at using social media?

16. Governance/Leadership
• Does government have a clear, stated strategic
intent to grow entrepreneurial activity?
• Do civic officials take advantage of the bully
pulpit to encourage entrepreneurs?
• Do civic officials have a visible presence in the
entrepreneurial community?

17. Governance/Leadership (2)
• Does government actively promote exchanges
of ideas with other cities/states/countries?
• Do they listen and actually use information
from diverse sources?

18. Governance/Leadership (3)
• Does the community have the right metrics?
(Good metrics on the right things?)
• Has there been a rigorous, comprehensive
effort to identify the best metrics?
• Are these metrics well-communicated to the
public?

19. Governance/Leadership (4)
• In the eyes of the entrepreneurial community,
do leaders “get it”? Visibly? Credibly?

20. Governance/Leadership (5)
• Do a community’s leaders support policies
that emphasize growing the mindset (not
skills)?
• Do a community’s leaders support changing to
a more entrepreneurial culture?

21. Governance/Leadership (6)
• Is bold, disruptive action considered the norm
in economic policies?
• Is bold, disruptive action driven by threat or
by opportunity?

22. What have we missed?
• Or screwed up?
• Norris.Krueger[at]gmail.com
• @entrep_thinking
• Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora